Spencer ambulance service submits request for taxpayer help

For the first time in the history of the more than 50-year-old private Spencer Rescue Squad, the town may have to pay for ambulance service.

The squad, the first private ambulance service in Massachusetts when it was founded in 1959, has long been funded through an annual subscription drive along with collections from patients or the health insurance companies that cover them.

But now, the nonprofit squad needs help from the town if it’s to keep operating beyond June 30. Board of Directors President Daniel Handerson said Spencer would need to contribute $200,000.

He said he’s hoping there’s a way for the town to appropriate money without affecting other local services.

The reasons behind the request include a 20 percent decrease in the number of ambulance calls, and Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements that are not enough to cover the cost of transporting patients.

Also, because of a state law, some insurance companies pay the reimbursement for ambulance service directly to the patient, and the rescue squad has trouble collecting that money.

The subscription drive, which allows residents to pay a fee up front and have their deductible waived if they use the ambulance, has been popular.

But it can mean large co-payments are forgiven.

Those things have forced the squad to use savings that would normally be used to make capital improvements and buy equipment, Mr. Henderson explained.

The $200,000 shortfall in the squad’s $960,000 operating budget would be an annual request that is not expected to increase, Executive Director Gary Suter said.

“The sad thing is, and I know the question will be, is what we’re asking for enough?” Mr. Henderson said.

He added that the squad cannot make any predictions about how the health-care landscape will change.

The service had regionalized with Paxton, but that relationship may end in the next 18 months as Paxton works on setting up an ambulance in that town, Mr. Henderson said.

The advanced life support service employs one full-time emergency medical technician and three full-time paramedics along with 15 part-time EMTS and 20 part-time paramedics

Town Administrator Adam D. Gaudette said the town will have to look at other options and evaluate the “cost benefit” of other ways of providing emergency medical care for residents.

He said Spencer officials want to support the squad but must look for the best deal for the town.

Joseph Nanigian works for a private ambulance company in Worcester and is also a member of the Spencer Fire Department.

He said that while he respects the Spencer Rescue Squad, it is a private business and it’s unlikely the town would give $200,000 to any other business that was having a hard time.

Selectmen said they will set up a committee to review the best and least-costly options for ambulance services before deciding whether to ask voters for the funding.